December 8, 2020

MESSENGERS

Malachi 3:1-5

“Behold, I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come into His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, whom you desire. Behold, He is coming,” says the Lord Almighty. “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can withstand His appearance? For He enters like a refiner's fire and as soap in one's wash. He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver and gold. He will purify the sons of Levi and pour them out as purified gold and silver, and they will bring an offering to the Lord in righteousness. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord, as in the days of old, as in former years.

“And I will draw near to you in judgment, a swift witness against sorcerers, adulterers, those who swear falsely by My name, those who exploit wage-earners, those who oppress widows and afflict orphans, those who pervert the justice due foreigners, and those who do not fear Me,” says the Lord Almighty.

Personal Challenge

Malachi prophesied that there would be two very important messengers coming in the future. These messengers would totally upend the state of their religious beliefs that they practiced. The first messenger was John the Baptist who was sent to announce the coming of the Messenger of God, the Messiah. John challenged the leaders of his religious practices for being deadened to the voice of God and creating a religion of men. Jesus picked up that challenge to the leaders and then extended it to every person. He called us to Himself and challenged us to abandon this world and to take up His cross as ours and follow Him. Through Him, we are now His messengers taking His word out to the world around us. Are we living up to that responsibility as His messengers? Am I? Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!